2 days ago
It's impossible to have a bad time at this S.F. restaurant specializing in meat on a stick
Two years ago, Zibo became China's hottest tourist destination. In March 2023 alone, the city of 4.7 million doubled in size, welcoming 4.8 million visitors. When train tickets from Beijing to Zibo were released for the May Day holiday, they sold out in one minute.
What was drawing these hoards of merrymakers to a mid-sized city in Shandong Province best known for petrochemicals? Barbecue, specifically skewered meats grilled over charcoal. The country, newly released from COVID restrictions, was in collective search of cheap amusement, conviviality and community. Gathering with friends and family around Zibo's open-air grills checked all the boxes.
Is it possible to have a bad time while eating food on a stick? No one is having difficult conversations over corn dogs or paletas. It's an inherently playful food format, enhanced by company and almost certainly by beer. If you'd like to get in on the fun and a quick trip to Zibo is not part of your summer plans, you can get reasonably close at Northern China BBQ in San Francisco.
There will be several key differences. Northern China BBQ is not a grill-it-yourself style restaurant, which, frankly, is fine with me since chef-owner ZhiChao He is far more adept than I am at manning the flames. While Zibo's style of barbecue involves coddling the grilled meats inside flour tortilla-like wraps, He's cuisine is representative of his home province of Jilin, situated just above North Korea, and where, some would argue, the barbecue is even better than in Zibo.
All ordering at Northern China BBQ is done, either in English or Chinese, via QR code, a convention that is rarely my preference. Here, however, it's ideal. Your entire party can add to the ticket and send it through piecemeal; you'll know your request has been received when you hear an aggressive 'ding' chiming from the kitchen. It's smart to order your skewers over the course of a few rounds since they come out quickly, and you can add more as your hunger level demands.
There are meat options aplenty, ranging from cubes of lamb ($5.98) and spicy pork spareribs ($6.99) to tender frog legs ($6.99) and tiny duck tongues ($8.99), stacked one on top of the other, 10 to a stick, and looking very much like, well, tongues. If you like duck liver, you should give them a try. Crispy chicken skin ($4) folds back over on itself in ribbons like old-timey Christmas hard candy and adheres stubbornly to the bamboo skewer. If you're sharing this one, prepare to crunch and pass. Sweet Taiwanese sausage ($6) is scored on the bias, a many-petaled meat flower. Skip the chicken.
It's possible to turn an outing at Northern China BBQ into a carnivorous orgy, but many of my favorite — and notably economical — skewers are vegetarian. Cauliflower florets ($2.99) and string beans ($2.99), tidily lined up in a row, were wonderfully charred and well-spiced, and the discs of burnished potatoes ($2) give even the finest home fries a run for their money. Rectangles of nearly translucent tofu skins ($5.99 for 10) look like banners welcoming you to a theme park. The item listed as 'gluten' on the menu ($5.99 for 10 skewers) is seitan, served in rings that resemble Chinese coins — or, you might muse while marveling over their chewiness, peach gummies.
The skewers, all forcefully seasoned with a variety of spices including cumin, chiles and garlic powder as well as a touch of sugar, are the main draw, but the non-skewer portion of the menu is ripe for exploration as well. I'd advise starting your meal — and showing off your dexterity with chopsticks — with an order of spicy, málà peanuts ($9.99). Roasted eggplant ($8.99), charred and served split open, ready to be scooped, is a garlicky, custardy marvel.
Large-format options include an excellent beef dish ($35.99), served in an iron pot set over a burner and loaded with cabbage, cauliflower, black fungus and potatoes, all blanketed by fresh and dried chiles and sesame seeds. And there's a whole section of braised dishes served in round tinfoil takeout containers. The choice of vessel remains a mystery to me, but the duck blood ($18.99) is well worth ordering. The slabs of congealed blood resemble tofu in texture, and the fortifying spicy broth in which they're served begs to be spooned over a side of rice or simply slurped.
He's wife, Ling Ye, oversees the two dining rooms — one with booths, the other with tables — and a variety of other family members will run your skewers from the kitchen or refresh your beverage. She's also behind much of the decor, which includes bold word art on the walls. One, in Chinese characters, reads, 'When the sun sets, it's time to drink.' (Northern China BBQ is open until 11:30 p.m. with the exception of Mondays, leaving plenty of time to tie one on, even during long summer days.)
On the facing wall are more characters with their rough English translation underneath: 'In the same city, why haven't we seen each other for a long time?' On each of my visits, there was a poignancy to the question as I swapped skewers with friends and family members whom I hadn't seen in a month or two. Let this be your nudge to get on the group text. It's time to reconnect with your loved ones over chicken gizzards on a stick.
Northern China BBQ
294 9th St., San Francisco.
Noise level: Quiet to moderate
Meal for two, without drinks: $50-90
What to order: Lamb, duck tongue and pork sparerib skewers ($6-9 each); potato, cauliflower and string bean skewers ($2-3); spicy peanuts ($10); iron pot beef ($36)
Drinks: Tsingtao beer and a wide variety of bottled soft drinks, including snow pear juice, iced teas and soymilk
Best practices: Come with a group and place your order in rounds rather than all at once. Try some offal — beef aorta will appeal to squid lovers, duck tongues to fans of duck liver mousse. And those bamboo cylinders on each table? They're for your spent skewers.
